Manufacturers of polythene bags in UP oppose ban

Plastic carry bag manufacturing estimated at Rs 5,000 cr in UP

Manufacturers of polythene bags in Uttar Pradesh (UP) have petitioned Governor Ram Naik against the state government's decision to ban these in the state.

The sector is estimated to be worth around Rs 5,000 crore in the state and employs five million workers. There are around 2,000 units manufacturing plastic bags, with a majority of these located in the Kanpur area.

On December 18, the state Cabinet decided to ban the manufacture, import, purchase and storage of all kinds of plastic carry bags. The order will come into effect from January 21, 2016 said a notification issued by the state government on Wednesday. The decision was taken to as the result of an observation by the Allahabad High Court. On November 18, a division Bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Yashwant Verma had directed the state to issue a notification enforcing a complete ban on the sale of polythene across the state by December 31.

On Thursday, manufacturers, under the aegis of Laghu Udyog Bharti, called upon Naik, terming the decision one sided. They said it would not only affect the livelihood of millions of workers, but would also have an adverse impact on the environment. They said the government should not completely ban polythene bags with a thickness of 40 microns and above. “All the units in UP manufacture carry bags of 40 microns and above, which should not be banned,” UP Plastic Products Association president Ravi Jain told Business Standard.